Ships with connections to Russian grain export company RIF Trading House LLC transport stolen Ukrainian grain out of Crimea, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. According to the newspaper's investigation, Ukrainian grain is smuggled to the port city of Sevastopol, where it is loaded onto small vessels, which transfer it to cargo ships. The grain is then exported around the world.
The report claimed that Russia has sold "thousands of tons" of Ukrainian grain globally. It alleged that using smaller boats and keeping cargo ships away from Sevastopol reduces the risk of buyers finding out the grain is acquired illegally. It is also sometimes mixed with Russian exports, "to further disguise the cargo’s origins," the WSJ said.
